


Wishing Well

by grimtactician



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Friendship, Light Angst, M/M, Natsume needs a hug honestly, tanuma worries but for the wrong reasons tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 03:46:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11222643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grimtactician/pseuds/grimtactician
Summary: Tanuma worriesNatsume is terrifiedMadara just wishes someone else had to deal with this.(Alternatively: Tanuma learns about the book of friends in the worst possible way, and many other secrets come to light)





	Wishing Well

**Author's Note:**

> Hey ya'll!  
> I've been rewatching/re-reading Natsume and i remember how much?!!? i love it?!?!
> 
> Anyways, this is my first time writing...well anything tbh, so bear with me?

Tanuma wakes up to ringing in his ears.

His eyes strain against the bright light shining down into…wherever he is.

He’s resting against something slippery and damp, moisture seeping through his shirt and pants as he struggles to sit up. Arms straining against the muddy ground, he pushes himself up so he’s leaning against the wall and tries to figure out where he is.

The ground is muddy and littered with twigs and leaves as well as a few plants growing here and there. surrounding him on all sides are walls made from gray rock, much of its surface covered with slippery moss and mold. Light comes from somewhere up high, and as he lifts his head to look for the source, he realizes just how high up the walls stretch. There doesn’t appear to be any form of ceiling, and it is sunlight that makes its way down.

He’s in some sort of pit…

_It’s a well,_ his mind helpfully supplied, fear and uncertainty finally making themselves known.

_I’m in a_ well _…but… how did I_ get _here?_

He tries to think back to the last thing he was doing. He’d been in class, a math exam that he’d probably barely passed followed by lunch with Kitamoto, Nishimura and Natsume— _Natsume_. He’d walked home with Natsume after school and—with a grunt, he falls to the ground as a hot spike of pain flares in his head.

_Natsume, I was walking home with Natsume and then_ —Tanuma holds his head with both hands as he slumps against the wall and slides down, the sudden headache too much.

_A flickering in the corner of his eye_

_Sharp stab of pain as he feels something grab him from behind_

_A distorted voice and then… darkness._

Remembering this doesn’t help him with his current…predicament. The fact is, he’s stuck at the bottom of a well, probably somewhere in the forest judging by all the debris littering the muddy ground. If he’d gotten a headache so bad he blacked out, it was probably the doing of some ayakashi. But why him? His powers weren’t nearly enough to make him a target , and his dad had stopped purifying the area a long time ago so why—

Natsume. He and Natsume had walked home from school for the past couple weeks. They’d walk together until Tanuma had to turn down the path home and Natsume would wave and smile softly as he continued down the road.

_The ayakashi probably meant to take Natsume instead of me._

The thought fills him with terror, but it fades as he realizes that _him_ being here means Natsume is probably safe.

_I really shouldn’t be so relieved by this, I am in a well after all_ , he thinks with a small laugh, but just knowing kind, too reckless, Natsume is safe makes the situation just a bit less grim. With that though, Tanuma gets up and begins looking for a way out.

It’s as he runs his hands along the walls in search for anything to grab hold of, that he feels desperation begin to  boil up in his gut like tar. He doesn’t actually _know_ how long he’s been here, and night time is only a couple hours away. His dad is probably worried if hes been gone for more than a day. He finally notices his too empty stomach and dry mouth.When was the last time he'd eaten? His friends are probably worried as well, if he's missed a day of school then they probably assume he's ill again, if so Natsume and Taki are probably worrying themselves sick and— _Natsume_.  

_Oh_ , he thinks, _Natsume_.

**Author's Note:**

> Phew! Ok so as i said, i've never written...well, ANYTHING, before this. Like, essays and papers for school yeah, but creative writing?? Nope.
> 
> I really do want to be able to write and to eventually get better at it, and I've been longing to contribute to the things i love in a way that others can also enjoy, so here is my first attempt! Updates probably wont be too big, and i don't know how often i'll update. I definitely intend to finish though, and it probably wont be that long of a fic.   
> please feel free to let me know if something's off/doesn't make sense!


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